KEVIN DURANT: The 23-Year-Old Superstar Who May Be The Best Player In The NBA

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Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant has been among the best, if not the best, player on the court at every level he's played at.

He single-handily led the Texas Longhorns to the NCAA tournament while in college and hit the ground running as soon as he made it to the pros.

His NBA career accolades to date include Rookie of the Year honors, being named to the All-NBA first team twice, finishing in the top five in MVP voting two times, and leading the league in scoring for consecutive seasons.

Durant grew five inches after his freshman year of high school to reach 6'8" and eventually transferred to high school basketball power house Oak Hill Academy his junior year.

Receiving multiple offers from cream of the crop Division I schools, Kevin Durant went to the University of Texas. Durant started every game his freshman year, leading the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and were renamed the Thunder for the 2008-09 season. The young Thunder finished a disappointing 23-59, but signs of a bright future were everywhere.

Durant and Russell Westbrook surprised the rest of the Western Conference when they qualified for the 2010 playoffs. They nearly took the Lakers to the brink, losing in game six of the first round on a last-second tip-in by Paul Gasol.

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With other NBA stars unavailable, Durant led team USA to gold in the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

As the Thunder matured and improved, Kevin Durant led the league in scoring and put the team within a few games of the NBA Finals in 2011. OKC lost to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals.

Like every NBA player, Durant found himself with tons of free time during the 2011 NBA lockout. He spent part of this time playing flag football, once with frat boys at Oklahoma State and then against LeBron.

There have been a bunch of questions about whether or not Durant and Russell Westbrook can coexist in OKC, especially after a few instances of on-the-court arguments. Either way, the team is committed to both as they play out lengthy max-deal contracts.

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With a more complete roster, Durant now has the Thunder poised to make a deep playoff run in 2012 and possibly even win it all.